BBC SPORT | Boxing | Calzaghe v Eubank - 10 years on Calzaghe v Eubank - 10 years on By Sean Davies Calzaghe shows his joy at winning the belt he still holds The 11 October, 1997, marks the 10-year anniversary of Joe Calzaghe's clash with former champion Chris Eubank at the Sheffield Arena for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. Calzaghe, of course, won a thrilling 12-round decision to claim the belt he has proudly held through 20 defences, making him the longest reigning current world champion in boxing. As the Welshman prepares for another of the biggest tests of his career against WBC and WBA champion Mikkel Kessler in Cardiff on 3 November, he still considers Eubank the best opponent he has ever faced. 606: DEBATE Sean_D The then-25-year-old Calzaghe had been due to challenge champion Steve Collins for the WBO crown.

But having just defeated Eubank and Nigel Benn, the Irishman chose to retire rather than putting his reputation on the line against a talented youngster, who was undefeated in 22 fights with 21 knock-outs, 10 in the first round. Eubank, meanwhile, had been training to fight Mark Prince at light heavyweight, but with just two weeks to get down to 168lbs the 31-year-old chose to accept the title bout - and vowed to take the young upstart "into the trenches". "And he did," said Calzaghe. "Physically and mentally, the Eubank fight drained me. Calzaghe stunned Eubank with a first-round knock-down "I said that I was going to knock him out but that night was the hardest I've had in the whole of my boxing career... only my heart and fitness brought me through the ordeal." An adrenaline-fuelled Calzaghe started out like a train. "I came out of the corner for round one smiling," remembers Eubank. "I was moving around and sizing up the terrain, when 'Boom!' Calzaghe hit me with a huge shot that literally came out of nowhere and knocked me down.

"A first-round knock-down had never happened to me in my entire career. "As I picked myself up from the canvas and brushed myself down, I thought to myself: 'You've got your work cut out tonight, guy.' BOXING'S 10-YEAR CHAMPIONS Bernard Hopkins, 1995-2005 Joe Calzaghe, 1997- "My constitution was strong enough to soak up the damage that punch might have done in the longer term, so once I had regained my poise, I thought to myself: 'I will knock on your door in the 10th or 11th round but, boy, am I going to have to take some stick in the meantime'." Calzaghe soon realised that he had got his preparations wrong and that he had started too quickly. "I was knackered after three or four rounds when I hadn't stopped him," said Calzaghe. "I'd never gone 12 rounds in my life. I hope I never have to go through that sort of pain again.

My body just wasn't used to it." Calzaghe lifts the WBO belt for the first time Calzaghe was helped through some dark moments by father and trainer Enzo, and eventually won the full respect of Eubank. "I know how to absorb punishment, take it and give it back, but to Joe's credit he stayed there through to the final bell and took a unanimous decision," said Eubank. "After the fight, I went to Joe and complimented him on his performance and made no excuses in the press interviews. "In return, the media spoke very kindly about me, which was very welcome. "Steve Bunce of the Daily Telegraph said the bout was: 'quite simply one of the finest fights in British boxing history'." Joe Calzaghe | Welsh boxer | Britannica.com Joe Calzaghe Jimmy Wilde Joe Calzaghe, (born March 23, 1972, London , England ), Welsh professional boxer. At the start of the 21st century, he ranked as the longest-reigning champion in professional boxing history, with an undefeated record in both the super middleweight and light heavyweight categories.

Calzaghe grew up in Wales , the son of a Welsh mother and a Sardinian father. At the age of nine, he fought his first boxing match but lost. By 1993 he had held Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) titles in three different weight categories, the first British boxer to do so. He also held titles from the National Association of Boys Clubs (NABC) and the Gaelic Games. As an amateur boxer, Calzaghe maintained an impressive record of 110 wins out of 120 fights. In 1993 Calzaghe turned professional and won his first match. Under the management of Mickey Duff and Terry Lawless, he continued to defeat his opponents but never fought in a world championship bout. Displeased with his management, in 1996 he switched to Frank Warren’s Sports Network, and in 1997 he defeated Chris Eubank to win the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight championship. He went on to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in 2006.

In April 2007 Calzaghe fought Peter Manfredo, Jr., the runner-up on the American reality television boxing show The Contender. Calzaghe won the match easily in front of a crowd of 35,000, a record for an indoor boxing event in Europe. In November 2007 Calzaghe became the undisputed world champion when he won a decision over Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler, adding Kessler’s World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles to his own WBO and IBF championships. Calzaghe made his American debut in April 2008, winning a split decision over former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins . In November 2008 he won a unanimous decision over American Roy Jones, Jr. , a former world champion in four weight classes, leading many boxing observers to proclaim Calzaghe the greatest Welsh boxer of all time. Calzaghe retired in February 2009 with an undefeated record in 46 career bouts, including 32 victories by knockout. In 2014 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Learn More in these related articles: Recalling the 5 Defeats Chris Eubank Suffered During His Professional Career | Bleacher Report Recalling the 5 Defeats Chris Eubank Suffered During His Professional Career By Rob Lancaster , Featured Columnist Mar 18, 2015 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Holly Stein/Getty Images Comments Chris Eubank provided British boxing with some great nights. Some found the flashy ring walks and fancy clothes too much to take. Others loved the two-weight world champion for his showmanship as much as his skills. Either way, Eubank was involved in some classic fights. He twice went to war with Nigel Benn, defeating his rival the first time before the rematch ended in a draw. However, the Dulwich-born fighter did not always come out on top. On March 18, 1997, Eubank was beaten for the first time as a professional. Steve Collins not only took away his WBO title that night in Ireland but also erased Eubank's perfect record.

To mark the 20th anniversary of that first loss, we look back at the bouts when the man nicknamed "Simply the Best" came out on the wrong side of the result. Tweet Chris Eubank boasted a 41-0-2 record when he travelled to Ireland to face Steve Collins. Having beaten Henry Wharton on points the previous December, Eubank held the WBO super-middleweight belt ahead of the bout at the Green Glens Arena in the village of Millstreet. However, despite heading to the ring on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, the champion never moved through the gears against Collins. The challenger dropped the Englishman in the eighth round, and although Eubank returned the favour in the 10th, it was not enough to spare him from a first defeat. The judges scored it 116-114, 114-113 and 115-111 in the home fighter's favour. Collins had spoken before the bout about using a hypnotist to help him become immune to pain, per Glynn Evans of BoxNation . Eubank admitted afterward that the issue had played on his mind.

He revealed in a television interview later that he was seriously worried he would "kill" Collins, according to SportsHypnosis.co.uk , after knocking him down. Tweet After tasting defeat for the first time, Chris Eubank quickly got back to work with the aim of reclaiming his WBO belt. He put away both Bruno Ruben Godoy and Jose Ignacio Barruetabena in a hurry, beating both men inside a round, to pave the way for a rematch with Collins. The second bout between the pair was staged at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork, Ireland, in September, 1995. Unlike their first meeting, both fighters managed to stay on their feet for the full 12 rounds. In the end the judges were needed again to decide the winner, with Collins getting the verdict via a split decision to retain the title. The Irishman later admitted in an interview with Ring Magazine that Eubank was the strongest opponent he faced: "I always wanted to be in punching range against Chris, but he was the toughest, most durable man I ever met." Eubank announced his retirement the following month, though he didn't hang up the gloves for too long.

Tweet Chris Eubank did not fight for another 13 months after his second loss at the hands of Steve Collins. The retirement plan soon went out the window as he decided to carry on boxing, though he was made to travel on his return to action. He defeated Luis Dionisio Barrera in Cairo, Egypt, and then also saw off the challenge of Camilo Alarcon in Dubai. The WBO belt he had previously held became available again after champion Collins decided to call it a day. Eubank took on Joe Calzaghe, with the unbeaten Welshman quickly giving the former titleholder an idea of his abilities by dropping him in the very first round. However, he could not find a way to put Eubank away and was instead pushed hard through to the final bell. For the first time in his career Calzaghe was taken the distance, getting the nod from the judges by scores of 118-109, 118-110 and 116-111.

The new champion confessed he had been made to work for the victory, per BBC Sport : "Physically and mentally, the Eubank fight drained me." Tweet Having failed to become a world champion again at super-middleweight, Chris Eubank decided to move on up in his bid for further glory. He headed to cruiserweight and was given the chance to challenge for the WBO belt held by fellow Brit Carl Thompson. The bout, staged in Manchester, was an absorbing battle between two experienced fighters. Eubank scored a knockdown in the fourth. He could not, though, find a way to finish Thompson, with BBC Sport suggesting he tired as the rounds wore on. Thompson went on to retain his crown with a unanimous points triumph—two judges had it 114-113 in his favour, with the other scoring the contest 116-113 to the champion. The spectacle put on by the pair set the scene perfectly for a rematch, and the pair agreed to do it all again just three months later. Tweet Sheffield was the venue for the rematch between Chris Eubank and Carl Thompson.

Thompson had won the first bout on points to retain his WBO cruiserweight belt, but he would not need the judges to triumph the second time around. Eubank started impressively enough, per BBC Sport's fight report , but suffered damage to his left eye. The same issue had bothered him in the first meeting , and by the end of the ninth the injury was so severe his eye had swollen shut. The ringside doctor inspected Eubank, and referee Paul Thomas called a halt to the proceedings. For the first time in his long and distinguished career, Eubank had been stopped inside the distance. It was also the final outing for the two-weight world champion. Eubank ended his career with a 45-5-2 (23 KOs) record. What made the loss even tougher to take for the Brighton-based boxer was he was actually ahead on two of the scorecards at the time the bout was waved off.

Joe Calzaghe - BoxRec Joe Calzaghe Hall of Fame bio: [1] Name: Joe Calzaghe Alias: Pride of Wales / Italian Dragon Birth Name: Joseph Calzaghe Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom Hometown: Newbridge, Wales, United Kingdom Stance: Southpaw Had an amateur record of 110-10 1991 ABA Welterweight Champion 1992 ABA Light Middleweight Champion 1993 ABA Middleweight Champion Professional Career Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr. Defeated Stephen Wilson by an eighth-round TKO to win the vacant British Boxing Board of Control Super Middleweight Championship on October 28, 1995. Defeated Chris Eubank by a unanimous decision to win the vacant World Boxing Organization Super Middleweight Championship on October 11, 1997. Calzaghe would hold the title for more than 10 years, longer than any other super middleweight champion, and he would defend the title 21 times, a division record he shares with Sven Ottke .

Defeated International Boxing Federation Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy by a unanimous decision on March 4, 2006, to unify the IBF and WBO titles. Calzaghe, an underdog even with the British bookmakers, dominated the fight. He also won the vacant Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Championship. Relinquished the IBF Super Middleweight Championship on November 27, 2006. Instead of fighting the IBF mandatory challenger, Robert Stieglitz , Calzaghe took a more lucrative match against Peter Manfredo Jr. , whom he stopped in three rounds on April 7, 2007. Defeated World Boxing Association / World Boxing Council Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler by a unanimous decision on November 3, 2007, to unify the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles. Made his U.S. debut against Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 19, 2008. Calzaghe was floored in the first round, but he came back to win by a split decision .

According to CompuBox , Calzaghe landed more punches on Hopkins than any of his previous opponents. Defended The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Championship against Roy Jones Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 8, 2008. After getting knocked down in round one, Calzaghe dominated the rest of the fight and won by a unanimous decision . It was Calzaghe's last fight. Announced his retirement on February 5, 2009. Calzaghe had a record of 46-0 with 32 knockouts. Ranked No. 3 on The Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound list at the time of his retirement. Had a record of 22-0 (11 KOs) in world title fights. Had a record of 10-0 (2 KOs) against former, current and future world champions: Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.

Preceded by: Joe Calzaghe Vs Chris Eubank Wbo Super Middleweight World Title Official Onsite Programme Signed With Rare Full Signature And Inscribed By Calzaghe || Boxing Memorabilia || Champs UK "THE GREATEST" MUHAMMAD ALI Joe Calzaghe vs Chris Eubank WBO Super Middleweight World Title Official Onsite Programme SIGNED With RARE FULL SIGNATURE And INSCRIBED By Calzaghe Joe Calzaghe vs Chris Eubank WBO super middleweight World title official on-site 39 page programme SIGNED with RARE FULL SIGNATURE and INSCRIBED "Best Wishes" by Joe Calzaghe also featuring Naseem Hamed vs Jose Badillo WBO featherweight World title billed, "The Full Monty", 11th October 1997, Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire. Condition mint * Eubank knocked down in the 1st and 10th rounds Hamed W TKO 7 Please view shipping amounts or please contact us for any other enquiries.

Shipping Amount: £ Joe Calzaghe vs Chris Eubank - Highlights Joseph William Calzaghe CBE (born 23 March 1972) from Wales who retired undefeated. He was rated by Ring magazine as pound for pound one of the top 10 boxers in the World, He retired in February 2009 with an undefeated record, becoming only the fourth European boxer, after Terry Marsh, Michael Loewe and Sven Ottke, to retire as an undefeated World champion. After his retirement Ricky Hatton, described him as "the best British fighter we've ever had". Calzaghe is sometimes referred to as the "Pride of Wales", or the "Italian Dragon" in reference to his mixed heritage (the dragon being both a Welsh emblem and a Sardinian myth). He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring Magazine and British super middleweight champion. Calzaghe is the longest-reigning World champion in recent years, having held the WBO super middleweight title for over ten years until he relinquished the title to concentrate on fighting at light-heavyweight.

As his super-middleweight and light-heavyweight reigns overlapped, he retired with the longest continual time as World champion of any active fighter. He is part of the Team Calzaghe based at the Newbridge boxing club. In 2007, Calzaghe became BBC Sports Personality of the Year, beating Ricky Hatton and Lewis Hamilton by gaining 28.19% of the public vote. This made Calzaghe the first Welsh winner of this award since show jumper David Broome in 1960. He was also awarded the Young Boxer of the Year Award in 1995. Joe Calzaghe was the first Ring Magazine Super Middleweigth Champion after his impressive win against undefeated American Jeff Lacy, He also became Ring Magazine Champion in his second weight division after beating future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins for the Light Heavyweight Title, This made Joe a two weight World champion .

Joe has some big wins against former Super Middleweight World champions like WBO Champion Chris Eubank, WBC Champions Robin Reid and Richie Woodhall, IBF Champions Jeff Lacy and Charles Brewer, WBA Champion Byron Mitchell, Current IBO Champion Sakio Bika, Joe beat the then champion Mikkel Kessler for the WBA/WBC Titles. In 2008, he had wins over former WBA/WBO/WBC/IBF/RING Middleweight and RING Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins, and over Roy Jones Jr who has held titles at Middleweight,Super Middle,Light Heavy and even Heavyweight. Biography Calzaghe was born in Hammersmith, London, to Sardinian Enzo Calzaghe and his Welsh mother Jackie. The family moved to Wales when he was aged two. Their home is at Newbridge in south Wales. He attended Oakdale Comprehensive School and still lives in the area. Calzaghe was the first person to be awarded the Freedom of Caerphilly, his home county, in 2009.

The award was presented to Calzaghe in front of his family—dad and trainer Enzo, mam Jackie, sister Sonia, girlfriend Jo-Emma and sons Joe and Connor, 15 and 11 years old respectively at the time. Already a member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours. Amateur Career Calzaghe, a southpaw, began boxing at age nine. In more than 12 amateur contests, he won four schoolboy ABA titles, followed by three consecutive senior British ABA titles (British Championships) between 1991 and 1993. This made him only the second boxer in history to win in welter, light-middleweight and middleweight divisions. He also beat future WBO and IBF World heavyweight champion Chris Byrd as a middleweight in 1992. Calzaghe received his last defeats at the hands of Michael Smyth in the 1990 Welsh ABA final and Romanian amateur Adrian Opreda at the 1990 European Junior Championships in Prague.

Professional Career In September 1993 Calzaghe was signed up to the Terry Lawless and Mickey Duff stable and made his professional debut at Cardiff Arms Park on the Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno bill the following month. By June 1995, Calzaghe had won nine out of nine fights, seven in the first round and two in the second. At the end of 1995 Calzaghe was voted Young Boxer of the Year by the Professional Boxing Association and the Boxing Writers' Club, with Barry McGuigan's top tipping Calzaghe for 1996: "He punches ferociously, moves superbly and has the best of the European technique and US aggression." By October 1995, he had won the British title, stopping Steve Wilson in the eighth round. Calzaghe's critics said that he had not really been tested. Calzaghe said in reply that he could only beat whoever was out there and prepared to fight him. In November 1996, Calzaghe moved to Frank Warren's stable.

Warren, who had managed Nigel Benn for his first twenty fights, declared: "Joe Calzaghe is a far better prospect, in fact he is my fighter for the new millennium." Warren spent the summer of 1997 chasing a fight for Calzaghe with either WBC champion Robin Reid or WBO title holder Steve Collins. The fight with Collins was arranged, but at a late stage Collins withdrew because of injury, was stripped of his title, and then retired. Calzaghe split with promoter Frank Warren in June 2008 and announced that he would promote his fights personally for the remainder of his career. The split caused Warren to launch a court case against Calzaghe, claiming that a verbal promise to promote the Roy Jones Jr fight was broken and that Calzaghe owed him $1.4 million; Calzaghe in turn claimed that Warren owed him past fees. In March 2009 the High Court ruled that Warren had persuaded Calzaghe to sign contracts under duress when Calzaghe was hungry and dehydrated preparing for matches and that Warren's company Sports Network Limited owed Calzaghe $2.8 million in unpaid fees. Sports Network Limited intends to appeal the award.

WBO Super Middleweight Champion A fight against the recently deposed titleholder and British boxing legend Chris Eubank was set up for the vacant WBO title on 11 October 1997, in Sheffield. Calzaghe emerged victorious over the two-time WBO champion, shockingly knocking Eubank down in the opening seconds and claiming a unanimous points win. The judges scored the contest 118-110, 118-109, and 116-111 in favour of Calzaghe. Eubank said of Calzaghe in a 2006 interview that: "Joe is the proper article, a true warrior." Calzaghe conceded that Eubank, even in his comeback, gave him the toughest fight of his life. In 1998 he defended his title against Branco Sobot (winning by technical knockout in 3 rounds), Sobot, was a late replacement for American Tarick Salmaci, who pulled out after a row with his management. Sobot was knocked down in the third round, he beat the count but immediately came under renewed punishment from Calzaghe.

Forcing the referee to step in at 1:35 of the third round. Calzaghe then went onto fight Juan Carlos Gimenez (TKO in 10 rounds), a former opponent of both Nigel Benn and Eubank. In 1999, Calzaghe started out by fighting his domestic rival, Robin Reid. Calzaghe was bitter that Reid refused to face him whilst holding the WBC championship in a unification bout, and vowed to beat him. After twelve rounds, the judges scored the fight for Calzaghe via a split decision. Reid was never given the opportunity of a rematch. Calzaghe damaged his hand early on in the fight and according to Calzaghe, he suffered a dose of food poisoning. Calzaghe finished the year with another points win against Rick Thornberry. The New Millennium 2000 started with another points decision against David Starie. This was followed by wins against Omar Sheika (a fifth-round stoppage), and former WBC champion and close friend Richie Woodhall. 2001 started with a first-round-stoppage win over unbeaten Mario Veit, followed by a win against Will McIntyre on the Mike Tyson-Brian Nielsen undercard in Copenhagen.

Calzaghe dropped the American in the third round with a ferocious left uppercut, although McIntyre managed to survive the count. But the end was near, Calzaghe dropped McIntyre again at the start of the fourth and this time the referee stopped proceedings. 2002 started with points wins against both the former IBF champion Charles Brewer and Miguel Jimenez in Cardiff, followed by a quick TKO of Tocker Pudwill, who took the fight at very short notice as a replacement for the injured Thomas Tate, in Newcastle in December. With the win Calzaghe successfully defended his WBO super-middleweight crown for the 12th time. After the fight, Calzaghe said: "I'm one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the World. I want to be remembered as one of the best British boxers ever." Calzaghe's only fight of 2003 was in June against Byron Mitchell at the Cardiff International Arena. Calzaghe won by TKO in the second. Calzaghe suffered his first career knockdown in the second round.

2004 started out with a defence against Mger Mkrtchian in Cardiff where he won by a seventh-round knockout, followed by a points win over Karbary Salem in Edinburgh in October, during which Calzaghe was knocked down in the fourth round by a right hand. However, he dominated the fight and knocked Salem down in the 12th round, winning comfortably on all three scorecards, 116-109,117-109,118-107. Veit got a rematch against Calzaghe in Braunschweig, Germany, in July 2005. Calzaghe beat Veit by technical knockout in the sixth round. On 10 September, 2005, Calzaghe fought the Kenyan boxer Evans Ashira and won by a unanimous decision despite breaking his left hand in the third round. Calzaghe fought on one-handed winning 120-108, 120-108, 120-107.

IBF Super-Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy His scheduled bout with IBF World champion Jeff Lacy for 5 November 2005 was initially canceled due to the break sustained to the metacarpal in his left hand. Warren successfully rescheduled it for 5 March 2006, and the match was won by unanimous points decision over Lacy who was a heavy pre-fight favourite with the bookmakers and pundits alike. Calzaghe dominated throughout the fight, with British fight fans chanting "easy" at the American during the last three rounds. Calzaghe gained the IBF title, and won every round despite a point being deducted in the 11th for an illegal "behind the body" punch. He also won recognition from The Ring magazine. On 14 October 2006, Sakio Bika challenged Calzaghe. Two points were deducted from Bika for head butts, one of which led to a severe cut over Calzaghe's left eye which would cause him problems for the duration of the bout. Calzaghe won the fight on decision, to continue his undefeated run.

Relinquishing IBF World Championship On November 27, 2006, it was announced that Calzaghe had signed a contract to defend his WBO super middleweight title against former star of The Contender Peter Manfredo Jr. on April 7, 2007, at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales to be shown on HBO. Because HBO didn't want to cover any fight with mandatory IBF challenger Robert Stieglitz, and with the opportunity if he won against Manfredo to fight Taylor in the summer, Calzaghe chose to fight Manfredo and as a result had to relinquish the IBF super middleweight championship. Both Calzaghe and Warren claimed that "Stieglitz doesn't mean anything outside of Germany." Stieglitz went on to fight Alejandro Berrio for the vacant IBF title, losing in 3 rounds. Berrio in turn lost the title to Lucian Bute in his first defence. Fighting Peter Manfredo Jr On April 7, 2007, Calzaghe met Peter Manfredo Jr. in front of 35,000 fans in Cardiff, Wales.

Calzaghe was victorious on a second-round stoppage, unleashing a flurry of punches on Manfredo, who threw nothing in return, thus drawing a stoppage from the referee. Manfredo and some commentators called the stoppage premature because Manfredo did not appear hurt. HBO's ringside announcers declared that the stoppage was "way too quick." Trainer Emanuel Steward did contend that Calzaghe was on his way to victory, but the stoppage tainted the performance through no fault of his own. Unifying The Super Middleweight Division Calzaghe vs Kessler In May 2007, Frank Warren released details to BBC 5 Live and on his website that Calzaghe had accepted Mogens Palle's offer of $5 million to fight Mikkel Kessler in Copenhagen, Denmark. The bout took place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on November 4. The fight was a unification bout for the WBO/WBA super/WBC/Ring Magazine super-middleweight titles. Calzaghe won by unanimous decision, surpassing the 20 defences made by Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes at middleweight and heavyweight respectively.

Only Joe Louis with 25 defences of the undisputed heavyweight title and Dariusz Michalczewski with 23 defences of the WBO light heavyweight title have more defences of a title. Calzaghe was frequently described as undisputed champion. Since he had relinquished the IBF title, others argued that this was not strictly accurate, Reuters called him "undisputed king" of the division, while David A Avila said he was "the true undisputed World champion. Forget about the IBF titleholder Alejandro Berrio. That’s really Calzaghe’s belt too." The WBA describes as "undisputed champion" those who hold any two of the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles; which Calzaghe did after beating Kessler, and had earlier done after beating Lacy. Moving Up To Light Heavyweight Calzaghe vs Hopkins On April 19, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Calzaghe defeated Bernard Hopkins and won The Ring light heavyweight championship by a split decision in his first ever fight in the United States.

Going into the fight Calzaghe again was a heavy favorite as Hopkins was 43 years old and had lost 2 of his last 4 fights. Calzaghe did not get off to a good start. Hopkins dropped him with a right hand in the first round and began to get the better of Calzaghe on the inside. As the rounds went on, Calzaghe began to get his rhythm going by landing combinations at close range. Hopkins’ key weapon was his right hand, but after a few rounds Calzaghe could see the right hands coming and blocked the shots with his glove. According to CompuBox, Calzaghe landed more punches on Hopkins than any of his previous opponents. In the end, judges Chuck Giampa (116-111) and Ted Gimza (115-112) scored the fight for Calzaghe, while judge Adalaide Byrd (114-113) scored the fight for Hopkins. Hopkins has openly stated that he wants a rematch with Calzaghe but Calzaghe felt he had nothing more to prove and said he'd retire after the meeting with Jones.

Calzaghe vs Jones Jr On July 8, 2008, after Calzaghe's split from Frank Warren, it was officially announced that Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Calzaghe had reached an agreement to fight for the Ring magazine light heavyweight championship in New York City at Madison Square Garden on September 20, 2008 on HBO PPV. After Calzaghe injured his right hand in training, the "super fight" was postponed, with 8 November being set as the new date. Calzaghe was put down by a right hand in the first round. Two close rounds followed before Calzaghe took control of the fight. In the eighth round, Jones sustained a cut over an eye, nearly forcing a stoppage. The judges' decision was 118-109 for Calzaghe. Retirement On 5 February 2009, Joe Calzaghe announced his retirement from professional boxing, finishing with a record of 46-0, one of the few World Champions to finish undefeated along with Rocky Marciano, Ji Won Kim, Terry Marsh, Michael Loewe, Ricardo Lopez, Pichit Sitbangprachan, Harry Simon and Sven Ottke.

After Boxing In an interview with GMTV, Calzaghe stated he is promoting The Beat Bullying campaign. He said to have found the inspiration from being a victim of bullying himself when he was young, saying he got bullied because of his small stature. In August 2009, he was announced as a participant in the seventh series of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing series, partnering Russian professional Kristina Rihanoff. Calzaghe Promotions Following his retirement from boxing, Calzaghe started his own boxing promotion company called "Calzaghe Promotions" with his father, Enzo Calzaghe. Boxing: John Rawling recalls his top-five Joe Calzaghe fights | Sport | The Guardian 1 Mikkel Kessler 3 November 2007 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff More than 50,000 witnessed Joe Calzaghe record a unanimous points verdict over the previously undefeated Dane to successfully defend his WBO world super-middleweight title for a 21st and final time. He also claimed the muscular, heavily tattooed Kessler's WBA and WBC versions of the title.

It was a result that proved Calzaghe to be unquestionably the best fighter in his division and one of the leading pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Calzaghe has subsequently said that he also regards it as his finest hour. The strong and heavy-handed Kessler tested Calzaghe's punch resistance when he landed several huge uppercuts and right hands that would have knocked out many fighters without Calzaghe's ability to take a punch. Realising the danger of standing and trading, Calzaghe used speed and boxing ability to frustrate his opponent and win with scores of 117-111 and 116-112 on the other two cards. 2 Jeff Lacy 4 March 2006 MEN Arena, Manchester This was the performance that made the American audience realise Calzaghe's qualities, as the Welshman produced a virtuoso display against the undefeated Lacy. Analysing for ITV, Barry McGuigan said Calzaghe had "won every second of every minute of every round" – against a fighter who was the bookies' favourite to win.

Victory brought Calzaghe the IBF world title to add to his WBO crown, and proved that at 33 Calzaghe was a fighter at the peak of his powers. In 12 rounds, Calzaghe threw more than 1,000 punches in a quite phenomenal display of speed, accuracy and boxing technique that drew on his remarkable reserves of stamina. Lacy, who had been built up in the US as a super-middleweight with Mike Tyson-like punching power, never looked likely to make a fight of it and finished with his face a bloody mask of cuts and bruises. Calzaghe won by 119-105 and 119-117 on two cards and would have been given all 12 rounds but for being deducted a point in the 11th for hitting on the break. 3 Chris Eubank 11 October 1997 Sheffield Arena The WBO super-middleweight champion, Steve Collins, quit as champion rather than face Calzaghe, and the 25-year-old Welshman quickly showed the crowd how dangerous he could be when he floored the normally granite-chinned former champion Eubank in the opening round.

Although Calzaghe was a three-time ABA champion and the British title holder, Eubank represented a massive step up in class and Joe confided afterwards that he had never shared the ring with a man who was as physically strong as Eubank. Eubank kept coming forward, but was unable to match Calzaghe's work rate and hunger. Both men finished exhausted but there were no quibbles over the scoring that awarded Calzaghe the vacant WBO super-middleweight title with scores of 118-109, 118-110 and 116-111. One of Calzaghe's hardest nights that began his record breaking decade as champion. 4 Bernard Hopkins 19 April 2008 Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas Calzaghe's US debut against the 42-year-old who had dominated the middleweight division for a decade and would subsequently show he was far from washed up when he defeated the highly touted Kelly Pavlik later in the year. Calzaghe scraped home on a split decision having been floored by Hopkins in the opening round.

Hopkins's supporters argued he had thrown the cleaner and more authoritative punches, but Calzaghe was always the one trying to force the pace, especially in the closing rounds when Hopkins tried many old pro's tricks to slow the action. It was not a classic fight, by any stretch of the imagination, but Hopkins remained a figure of stature in the US. Remarkably fit and toned, "The Executioner" still had the hardman aura for many but he was unable to psych out Calzaghe, who refused to be intimidated and, crucially, did not panic when he was sent to the canvas in the opening round. Calzaghe got the verdict with scores of 116-111 and 115-112, with the third judge giving it to Hopkins 114-113. 5 Richie Woodhall 16 December 2000 Sheffield Arena This meeting of two old friends did not make many headlines after Calzaghe had won by 10th-round stoppage because the IBF featherweight champion, Paul Ingle, sustained life-threatening brain injuries in a fight on the same bill. But technically, it must go down as one of Calzaghe's finest boxing performances.

Woodhall, a former WBC super-middleweight champion, was an excellent boxer with an outstanding jab. He was used to effectively dealing with southpaws such as Calzaghe. For half a dozen rounds, there was little between them but Calzaghe, who was the younger man by four years, began to get on top as his superior fitness and strength proved too much for Woodhall who was sent to the canvas in the ninth round and stopped by the referee, Roy Francis, in the 10th. Kevin Mitchell: Carl Froch will do well to be as successful and happy as Joe Calzaghe Published: 7 Feb 2009 BBC SPORT | Boxing | Clinical Calzaghe Clinical Calzaghe Joe Calzaghe's career in pictures Pugilistic historians will surely judge Joe Calzaghe's ruthless 12-round demolition of Jeff Lacy as one of the all-time great British world championship performances. The Welsh hero was still searching for his career-defining fight at the age of 33 when he squared up to the big-hitting American at Manchester's MEN Arena on 5 March 2006.

Calzaghe had defended his WBO super-middleweight belt 17 times since out-pointing Chris Eubank for the vacant title in October 1997. Then at last his promoter Frank Warren secured him a showdown with one of the genuine big guns from across the ocean. IBF and IBO champion "Left Hook" Lacy boasted an unbeaten record and the reputation as one of the best finishers in the business. But the 28-year-old Florida banger was cut to ribbons by the boy from Newbridge, whose relentless onslaught reduced him to no more than cannon-fodder. The victory did more than ensure Calzaghe remained the longest reigning champion in world boxing. It catapulted him into boxing nirvana - the world's top 10 pound-for-pound list. To his credit, Calzaghe had been making all the right noises for a long time before dismantling Lacy. The rangy southpaw has previously called out modern-day legends Roy Jones and former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, but both refused to take the bait. Calzaghe has also talked of stepping up to light heavyweight to try to tempt the likes of Glencoffe Johnson or Antonio Tarver.

And he may get his wish now American TV bosses have been served further notice of his talents. CALZAGHE FACT FILE Trainer: Enzo Calzaghe Promoter: Frank Warren Calzaghe turned professional in 1993 after a glittering amateur career which featured three ABA titles at different weights. He won the British super middleweight title in his 14th professional fight and made nine defences before challenging the battle-hardened Eubank for the WBO crown. Calzaghe served notice of his punching power by flooring the shop-worn Eubank in the opening round and went on to take a bruising encounter on points. But a series of uninspiring defences followed, leading some to believe the great Welsh hope was nothing of the sort. It transpired Calzaghe had been hampered by an injury to his left hand, but he returned to form with an impressive fifth-round knock-out of Omar Sheika in August 2000. There followed striking wins over former WBC champion Richie Woodhall (TKO 10), undefeated German Mario Veit (TKO 1) and America's Will McIntyre, before a humdinger of a fight against the dangerous Charles Brewer.

KEY FIGHTS 11/10/1997: Outpoints Chris Eubank to win WBO super-middleweight title 20/04/2002: Outclasses Charles Brewer to increase his box-office State-side 05/03/2006: Hammers IBF champion Jeff Lacy to unify the division The dramatic bout at the Cardiff International Arena was shown State-side, and a convincing win on points confirmed Calzaghe's reputation as one of the world's best 168Ibs fighters. Calzaghe has since defeated Las Vegas doorman Miguel Jimenez (W12) and journeyman Tocker Pudwill (TKO2), both fights adding little to his reputation. But the frustrations at not landing a big unification clash were becoming all too obvious. Calzaghe laboured to a 12-round points win over Kenyan Evans Ashira in September and there were genuine fears whether he would ever get the opportunity to fulfil his massive potential. But against Lacy he finally got his chance and took it. At 33, Calzaghe has two or three good years left in him.

He is now clearly the number one at 168lbs and can look to clean up the division by adding Mikkel Kessler's WBA belt or Marcus Beyer's WBC title to his growing collection. Alternatively, his impressive silencing of Lacy means a match-up with the likes of Jones, Hopkins, Johnson or Tarver could well be on the cards. HBO Boxing: Joe Calzaghe: Bio Joe Calzaghe Hometown:Newbridge, Wales Birthdate:Feburary 23, 1972 Undisputed world super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe faces Roy Jones in New York on September 20 as he continues to stamp his legacy as a "super power" in the sport of boxing. Calzaghe's last fight was a victory over boxing legend Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas April 19, 2007 and as he aims to become the best boxer on the planet and the greatest fighter to ever come out of Britain, he must now face "Superman" Roy Jones to secure his place among the top. This will be his second fight in the United States against a long awaited opponent in Jones.

Their careers and worlds collide on September 20 at Madison Square Garden and Calzaghe is looking forward to eliminating another super power threat. "This opportunity is a long time coming and after I beat Hopkins in April, there was only one fight I wanted next and that was Roy Jones", said Calzaghe. "Once again I am willing to go to America and fight him in his own country. None of that matters to me as I have always believed in my abilities to fight and beat the best in the game." "Super" Joe Calzaghe's road to the top has been fast and furious as he remains undefeated and is placed second, behind Joe Louis, on the all-time record list as consecutive victories in a single weight class. He has fought everyone he has been asked to fight and beating Jones after his victory over Hopkins is only the icing on the cake. Currently he is the longest reigning Champion in boxing. "To fight two American legends back-to-back is right where I want my career to be at this stage," said Calzaghe. "I plan on remaining undefeated with a victory over Roy Jones just like the Hopkins fight." Calzaghe's win over Hopkins was a testament to his strength and fortitude.

The relentless Hopkins pursued him in the early rounds and was able to use his exemplary offensive and defensive skills to cause Calzaghe to figure out how he was going to fight his opponent for 12 rounds. However, "Super" Joe turned the tables on Hopkins in the later rounds and as Hopkins was feeling the effects of the fight, Calzaghe came on stronger and beat him to the punch. After a grueling battle and a hard fought pace, Calzaghe was the victory and remained undefeated. The fight followed a stunning points victory over Mikkel Kessler to add the WBC and WBA super-middleweight titles to his WBO crown in a career-best display at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in front of a record 50,000 fans in November 2008. Calzaghe took on Kessler after a previous appearance at the Millennium Stadium in April when he fought Peter Manfredo Jr in front of 35,000 people. Then he was simply too good for the his opponent, forcing referee Terry O'Connor to intervene and stop the fight. The win meant Calzaghe had equaled the world title defenses record of both Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes, who each made 20.

Calzaghe, 35, went into the fight having retained his WBO and IBF super-middleweight crowns against Sakio Bika in October 2006 in Manchester, England. In a fight screened on a delayed basis on HBO, Calzaghe had to contend with low blows, head-butts and numerous other infringements against the teak-tough Australian. Cut for the first time in his career in the fourth round by a stray head, Calzaghe refused to take a backward step as he ground out a 117-110, 117-110 and 116-111 decision. After the fight he vacated the IBF title. Six months earlier, in one of the most impressive displays ever by a British fighter, Calzaghe had won it by scalping Lacy in front of a packed out Manchester Evening News Arena. The cavernous MEN was the scene of a master-class against highly touted and big-punching Lacy, who had been hailed as the saviour of boxing Stateside. Almost everyone thought he would beat Calzaghe, who started the fight as an underdog, and some feared for the Welshman's future career.

But Joe peppered him with more than 1,000 shots, and hardly shipped a blow himself, as he romped home in one of the most one-sided world title fights ever seen. He almost stopped Lacy in the last, having spent the previous 11 rounds toying with him almost without mercy and won 119-105, 119-107 and 119-107. Had it not been for a harshly deducted point, it would have been a complete shut out. It confirmed Calzaghe's status as the best man at 168 pounds, and delivered him a second world title nine years after winning his first. After a sensational amateur career that included three consecutive ABA titles, each at different weights, Calzaghe looked a sure bet to rule the world when he first turned professional in 1993 - and four years later he fulfilled his dream. On October 11, 1997, Joe faced his moment of truth on 'The Full Monty' card in Sheffield. That night he faced British boxing legend Chris Eubank for the vacant WBO super-middleweight championship.

Taking part in his 22nd WBO world title fight, Eubank obviously had the experience over his untested southpaw rival. What Chris did not have, however, was the youth, speed and fitness of his opponent, and it showed. Eubank was unceremoniously dumped on the canvas in the first round and after 12 ferocious rounds Calzaghe was declared the new champion. Calzaghe's concussive fists had ushered in a glorious new era in British boxing. Since that night in Sheffield Calzaghe has made a staggering 21 defenses and has extended his winning run to and incredible 45 fights with 32 early finishes. He has been awarded an MBE by The Queen for his services to the sport. His ultimate target his Joe Louis' record 25 world title defenses, and he wouldn't mind equaling Rocky Marciano's 49-0 slate. "Equaling Holmes and Hopkins means a lot to me and going for Joe Louis' record is a great incentive as well," said Calzaghe.

"But to be honest, I don't know if I want to take his record because he's a legend." With his lightning fast hand-speed and power punching, plus his awkward southpaw stance, Calzaghe has been avoided by the top Americans like Roy Jones Jr until now. A family man, Calzaghe is proud of his Italian roots and regularly holidays in the country where his father/trainer Enzo was born. Calzage has trained with his dad since the day he turned professional. In 2007, he also won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, only the third boxer in the awards history to do so. ways to watch HBO HBO is home to the most talked about programs on television - from groundbreaking series, films, documentaries and sports to the biggest blockbuster movies available anywhere. And it's never been easier to watch HBO programs - when you want, where you want. Order HBO from your service provider.

Question: Which Welshman defeated Chris Eubank to win the WBO Super Middleweight World Title in 1997?
Answer: JOE CALZAGHE